Nambour CBD Creative Renewal Program

Through a grant from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts POMO was engaged to deliver a city-wide creative placemaking renewal program in the Nambour CBD. The aim of the project was to creatively enhance the town’s night time appeal, encourage foot traffic and visitation.

We proposed a range of creative ideas in the public realm which met the terms of the grant, including three pieces of public art and identified five locations for the installation of artistic lighting. In total eight interventions were planned.

POMO commenced by writing a community engagement plan that brought locals into the decision making process and allowed them to have a say in what outcomes they wanted to see in their town. This engagement program exceeded expectations and gathered nearly 50% more responses than anticipated.

We then worked closely with a lighting designer and a digital light artist to co-design creative lighting works at five locations spanning private land, council owned land and State Government owned land.

POMO facilitated a rigorous process for the creation of three items of public art which was backed by council and saw artists invited to pitch for the work. A stakeholder voting panel chose the final artists and the community were given a say in the final works via an engagement portal and face to face pop ups run by volunteers.

POMO worked with the visual artists through the design process and helped manage requirements such as the integration of lighting, structural engineering and accessibility compliance.

During delivery we managed hold points, provided advice and assistance and co-ordinated a range of complex issues spanning private/public partnerships and leasing agreements, maintenance, access, stakeholder management, WH&S, site constraints and utility access.

In regards to the electrical and lighting works, we created and ran a public tender process and managed the contractual appointment of the winning tenderer.

Project Outcomes

The completed works were handed over to council in December 2022 and included:

Lighting

• The Old Ambo Arts Centre in Howard Street Nambour features a custom made light installation artwork which is facade mounted, invisible by day, made from recessed LED lights which run in 15 different programmed movement sequences each night and feature a programmable interface for custom interactivity and a manual “party mode” for opening nights and events.
   
• The Petrie Creek Bridge on Currie Street that has custom made steel rails on each side that contain colour changing flood-proof LED lights that are connected to street lighting and run each night according to a colour changing sequence providing enhanced safety outcomes and a entry statement to the town.
   
• A pre existing mural on Clarks Centre on Howard Street now has lighting to the facade.
   
• A pre existing mural on Civic Way at the Train Station now has lighting to the facade.
   
• Colour changing lights have been installed in the Lions Park on Currie Street which highlight the natural assets of the existing fig trees.
   

Public Art

• A sculpture on Howard St called Bunya Nut by Finn Cossar and Miles Allen made from railway pins which tells the story of the local sugar cane history and speaks to a indigenous local food source. POMO helped coordinate consultation with local First Nations representatives for this work with assistance from council.
   
• A sculpture on Currie St called Fire in the Heart by Simone Eisler that contains a first of its kind lighting installation that enables the heart to “beat” coloured light at night when someone walks past it or pauses.
   
• A two part metal sculpture on Currie St called Field of Vision by Petalia Humphreys which cleverly interacts with the viewer through an optical effect made visible as the viewer moves around the work.

POMO navigated all complexities around installation including working with council to manage site constraints, services identification, installation management and making good each site with rectification works.

This was a highly complex project with a wide range of stakeholders and interface with state, local and federal authorities. The project was successfully completed and handed over to council in December 2022.